


Adventures in the Chase Space: Of Ice and Darkness

by Quinn_Erto



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, There might be more characters added later, idk - Freeform, trigger warning: dysphoria, trigger warning: panic attack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2020-08-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:34:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26032747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinn_Erto/pseuds/Quinn_Erto
Summary: This fic could probably be rated as T+ rather than M, but it's better to be safe than sorry. It's near the middle of winter, when a new kid, Blake shows up at the Chase Space. Magnus and Alex soon find out that this kid has a stranger backstory then most of the others in the Chase Space. Told from the perspectives of Magnus and Alex, we figure out who Blake is - and was. We also get to see other kids who've come to the Chase Space. Fun times!Honestly, I'm really not sure how much I will update. If people seem to like it, then the chances of updating often will probably go up. This is my first time writing a fic, so we shall see how this goes :)Also, I kinda suck at writing summeries, so I probably made it sound worse than it is.
Kudos: 6





	1. The kid with the human bean shirt - MAGNUS POV

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said in the summery, this is my first time writing a fic, so how much I end up getting into it is pretty much an unknown. If I decide it's not for me, I'll make that evident, but then I'll probably stop updating. Also, understanding that this can be a highly debated topic in fandom, I want to make it clear that I am completely open to constructive criticism if you have any.

Six kids arriving in one morning was a bit unusual. Don’t get me wrong - it’s awesome that we’re able to give these kids a safe place to sleep. The first few kids, siblings, if I had to guess, just wanted a sandwich and were on their way. 

The third kid showed up just after it started to pour. And I mean full on  _ downpour. _

It takes me a second to hear the knocking over the sound of the rain. 

I set down my cup of hot chocolate and grab the door.

The poor kid is soaked to the bone, but doesn’t make any move to come inside, or even speak, so I introduce myself before the silence can get awkward. “Hey, uh, I’m Magnus. Ugh, this weather’s awful. You wanna come in?” I sign as I speak. I want to make sure this place, the Chase Space, was as accessible as possible. We found out pretty quickly that it helps make the kids feel safer.

Still, the kid just stands there. They have short black hair plastered to their face, and a green T-shirt sporting the words “we are all human beans.” 

I don’t push it. If they don’t want to come in, I’m not going to try and force them.

Finally the kid nods.

“What’s your name?” I ask, after I had grabbed them a towel and a mug of hot chocolate.

They consider for a moment before answering. “Blake.” 

We sit in silence for a few minutes. For whatever reason, Blake doesn’t seem as skittish as a lot of the other kids, but at the same time, but they’re still wary.

“Yo Magnus!” Alex bursts into the room, and stops short. “Oh. Who’s this?”

“Hey. Uh, this is Blake. They arrived a few minutes ago.”

“He.” Blake mutters under his breath. 

“Oh. sorry. He arrived a few minutes ago.” I correct myself. I don’t have any qualms changing pronouns; I was a bit unusual back when I was younger, but when you live on the streets for a few years, you find that a lot of kids who were kicked out of their homes use different pronouns than most people immediately perceive them as, and honestly it’s easier than not just to respect it. 

“Neat.” Alex says. “I’m Alex. It’s he and him unless and until I say otherwise., if you want, I can show you a room. If not, you can always feel free to hang out here in the kitchen, or wherever you want. We’re going to start making dinner in just a few minutes.”

“I’ll stay here.” Blake says flatly, still nursing his hot chocolate. Alex shrugs.

“Okay.” He turns toward me. “Blitzen just called - Camron’s coming back early. He wanted to talk to you.”

Alex is barely able to finish his sentence when the trouble maker in question comes flying through the room. Beside me, Blake tenses.

“On second thought, I’ll take you up on your offer.” He says to Alex. I scan the kid’s face. For whatever reason, he does  _ not  _ seem particularly thrilled to be around Camron.

I watch them leave, then turn my attention to Camron. He’s not looking too hot. Honestly, I blame the cold. 

Since the whole Khione fiasco back at Camp Half-Blood with the Greeks, the goddess has been making life miserable for the rest of us. From what I can tell, Camron’s got at least a cold, and honestly he’s probably also developing a fever. I’m about to ask him what’s wrong when his gut answers for me.

I jump backward as he doubles over and upchucks all over the floor.  _ Great. _


	2. The kid's probably got a past - ALEX POV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex meets Blake for pretty much the first time, and the two talk a bit. 
> 
> tw: panic attack

As we walk up the stairs, I try to get a better idea of who Blake is. From the way he looks around, as if he’s trying to memorize every little detail of this place, it’s clear that he’s trying to do something similar. 

Something definitely shifted when Camron came back. I’ve got no idea where they might have met, or what their history is, if I’m even reading this right.

Finally, Blake looks back at me. “You can’t let him die.”

That takes me by surprise. “What?”

“The boy that just came in. Camron. You can’t let him die.” 

Under normal circumstances, I would have thought Blake was messing with me, but he looks dead serious. And terrified. And still pretty much soaked.

“He’s sick.” Blake says by way of explanation.

“Hey.” I reach out to touch his shoulder, and get his attention.

He flinches away. Okay, he doesn’t like to be touched. I can respect that. 

“He’s not going to die. It’s just a cold.”

“No.” Blake says, “It’s not.”

He forges ahead before I can respond.  _ What was that about? _

I decide to wait a second, then follow Blake, stopping at his door.

“Hey Blake. If there’s anything you want to talk about, you can always come find me.”

To my eternal not-surprise, Blake says nothing.

I head back to check on Magnus. “How’s he doing?” I ask. There’s still a subtle glow around both Camron and Magnus, meaning that there had just been some magical healing involved. Now the kid’s fast asleep on the couch.

“He’s alright now.” Magnus says. My thoughts briefly flash back to what Blake had just said on the stairwell. Magnus continues, “I don’t know what he caught. He barely made it in here before he started hurling his guts up.”

“Did Blake say much about who he was?” I ask. Magnus cocks his head, confused.

“No, not much. Why?”

“He was very… adamant… that we can’t let Camron die. Like, really distressed. I told him it was just a cold or fever, and he got real serious, saying it wasn’t just that.”

“So you’re wondering if we got another demigod?”

“Or just if you know what might be going on, yeah.”

Magnus sighs and shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’ll see if I can talk to him later. Right now, I don’t really want to push it. 

+++++

I’m sitting in the library talking to Hearth two days later after dinner when Eve comes in carrying what must be eight days worth of cookies. I have no doubt they’ll be gone in the next twenty minutes.

_ Is Blake okay?  _ she signs. Eve doesn’t talk. Ever. Apparently that’s how she ended up on the streets anyway; her parents got it into their heads that she had to talk, rather than sign. The thought makes me want to strangle someone.  _ I heard some crashing coming from his room. _

I glance at Hearth, who shugs.  _ I didn’t hear anything. _ He says. Eve and I snort.

_ I’ll go check on him.  _ I stand up and stretch. 

Eve, busy shoving her third cookie into her mouth, don’t respond.

Honestly, I’m torn about what to do. Whenever I get pissy, I start smashing my pots on the ground - it’s my way of releasing all my feelings without actually getting anyone else hurt. Yeah, we can do murder and everything in Valhalla, it’s always a bit inconveneint getting stabbed in the gut, or, you know, dying for the sake of dying. So I try to leave my friends out of it. 

When I get to his door, I stop, listening for any details that might help me not screw this situation up. Contrary to Eve’s word, Blake’s barely making a sound. Light footsteps seem to trace the borders of his room.

So I knock lightly, and wait for a response. Inside, the footsteps stop, and there’s the sound of cushy impact as if he’s catapulted himself onto his bed. 

I decide to open the door a crack. I’ve got to be slow about this. I really don’t know what kind of boundaries Blake needs. I need to make sure that I’m not flouncing through them. 

Eve was right about hearing crashing. Blake’s floor is littered with what look like shards of ice  _ Oh, please don’t let this be another Khione incident. We do  _ not _ need to listen to goats trying to sing soprano again. _

Blake himself was sitting on his bed, staring dejectedly toward the wall, knees curled up against his chest. 

“Blake?” I ask softly, not wanting to startle him. I watch his body language carefully. He’s clearly not okay, but he doesn’t seem to startle or get defensive about my presence. That, at least, is a good sign. “Can I come in?” still the same soft tone. Technically, I’m already in his room, but there’s a lot of difference between barely standing in the doorway and actually approaching.

Blake doesn’t look at me, but he nods, the movement sharp and jerky with some deeper emotion.

I sit next to him on his bed, making sure not to get too close. If he didn’t like when I touched his shoulder before, he’s not going to appreciate me getting too close in his personal space.

“I can’t do this.” He mutters under his breath. 

“Hey.” I take an exaggerated breath, hoping that he’ll mimic the motion. To my relief, he does. “What’s wrong?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” He buries his face in his knees.

“I’ve seen a lot, Blake. Try me.”

“I’m just - I -” his words quickly deteriorate into tears. 

A sound of footsteps outside, and Blake’s expression goes stone cold. Still, he doesn’t fully face me. Magnus passes by, and pauses to see what’s happening.

I jerk my head in a pointed gesture to move on.  _ Give us some space, Chase! _ He nods, and leaves.

“Why are you in here?” Blake asks me directly. His voice is almost colder than his face.

From the way his eyes search my own, I can tell that nothing but the truth is going to be satisfactory. “One of the other kids said they heard crashing sounds. I thought I’d come check on you, see if you were okay.”

I have to fight to keep the edge out of my voice.  _ Thirteen months, and whenever anyone tries to question me the spikes still pop out. Get it together! _

“Why.” Blake says. It’s a question but not.

“Because part of the whole point of the Chase Space is that we’re helping to make sure that your needs are met. Which means more than just giving you a roof or food.”

Blake holds eye contact with me for several seconds. The glances down, as if thinking about it.

And then gives a little gasp, like he’s surprised or hurt or scared and trying to hold it in. He scrambles backward, wrapping his arms protectively around his chest.

“I can’t… I can’t - I - I can’t -” He says again. His voice trails off as he begins to hyperventilate. I reel in my look of alarm before he notices. Yes, I’ve got next to no idea what’s happening and I want to help, but showing alarm is only going to show him that I can’t handle whatever he’s dealing with.

I take a second to get my bearings on the situation and come up with a strategy. “Alright. Blake, I want you to do a breathing exercise with me, okay? We’re going to breath in through our nose, and out through our mouth. In, two, three, four,” I demonstrate the exercise Magnus taught me forever and a half ago, breathing in through my nose, and Blake mirrors. “Out, two, three, four, five, six, seven.” I breath out through my mouth in an audible exhale. “In…”

It takes six minutes for Blake to get control of his breath. But the tension in his arms and jaw ebbs away a little. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask softly, careful not to break the calmer atmosphere we’ve just built.

He considers for a moment. “I… I’m not always…” He lifts his chin in confidence, but his voice still hitches a bit. “I’m not always a boy.” Blake finally manages, scanning my face for any sign of my reaction.

I smile. “Nor am I. Welcome to the club. What pronouns do you want me to use now?”

“She.” Blake says, sagging in what I can only assume is relief. “At least for now.”

“Absolutely.”

The cold stone face takes over her expression. “That’s it? You’re just going to accept that? No questions, no ‘Blake you’re just making this up but I’ll play along, no ‘Blake you’ll go to hell?’” She gives a humorless laugh.

_ Fine. You want to get serious, we can do serious.  _ “Blake, look at me. I wasn’t joking about being genderfluid myself. I wasn’t joking about not always being a boy. And I’m not joking about accepting you as you are. When you want to be called she, I will call you she. When you want to be called he, I will call you he. If you want to be called something else, I will do that, too. Got it?”

Something about my tone seems to get through to Blake, and she nods.

“But what about when I panic like that? I’ve seen your patience. You’re going to get fed up in a few days, tops.”

_ What in the nine realms is  _ that  _ supposed to mean? _ “I’ll deal with my own feelings on my own time. Magnus, Hearth, Blitzen, me? We’re here to help you and the other kids who come through here. And if that means helping you work through a panic attack, I will gladly do it. I also want you to know that you can talk to me about whatever you need to talk about. I won’t tell anyone else about it unless you explicitly tell me it’s okay. And this is an assumption, so correct me if I’m wrong, but if you need help with managing dysphoria and stuff like that, I’m here for you. Okay?”

Blake scans my face again, as if searching for something. Finally she sits back with a sigh. “You’re actually telling the truth.” she says.

I smile. "Yeah."


End file.
